![FloridaÕs Kevin OÕ Sullivan and FSUÕs Link Jarrett meet before the start of the game, March 10, 2026, at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Florida. [Cyndi Chambers/ Gainesville Sun] 2026](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_130,w_3652,h_2054/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/270/01kt4hs7p6tsjz9nmv8b.jpg "FloridaÕs Kevin OÕ Sullivan and FSUÕs Link Jarrett meet before the start of the game, March 10, 2026, at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Florida. [Cyndi Chambers/ Gainesville Sun] 2026")
Florida State baseball’s season ended on Monday, and Link Jarrett and the coaching staff will need to get started on building the roster for next season immediately. Florida State lost a lot from last year’s team, with 11 players selected in the 2025 MLB Draft.
FSU will lose more players in the 2026 MLB Draft, but there might be more holes on the roster than the average fan realizes. Link Jarrett got Trey Beard and Bryson Moore from the transfer portal last year, and acquired Wes Mendes the year before. All three will be draft eligible. Can they convince Beard or Moore to return and hope to acquire two more weekend starters from the portal?
The two best and most reliable arms all season, John Abraham and Chris Knier, will be draft eligible. Brodie Purcell and Kevin Mebil are also. That’s nearly all of the production from the 2026 pitching staff. Payton Manca and Cooper Whited could return, along with some young, unproven guys. There’s a lot to replace on the pitching mound.
However, the lack of offense was the biggest issue in 2026. They already know what life is like without Myles Bailey if he doesn’t return after getting lost for the season due to an injury after 26 games. Some draft-eligible guys could return or leave like: Brayden Dowd, Cal Fisher, Brody DeLamielleure, and Chase Williams.
I'm fine with Michah Posey as the pitching coach, but Florida State needs to hire a real hitting coach, because the approaches at the plate this year were pretty bad all year.
Players like Hunter Carns, John Stuetzer, Gabe Fraser, Jace Estes, Noah Sheffield, Kelvyn Paulino, Charlie Buckles, Will Bavaro, and other young players might be in the mix.
Some guys might choose to enter the transfer portal. As you can see, there isn’t much proven production guaranteed to return in 2027. If Dowd, DeLamielleure, Carns, Stuetzer, and Fraser returned, that would be a solid start. However, FSU would need unproven, young players to take some MASSIVE leaps in production that probably isn’t realistic.
Florida State will need to hit on some transfer portal players with power and production to improve its offense over last year. Dowd and Fraser were good additions from the portal last year, but Eli Putnam was a major disappointment.
We’ll have to see how it shakes out, but there could be a ton of turnover on this roster once again. Will Link Jarrett make the right moves to improve this roster so it’s a legitimate contender without allowing one injury to make it seem like the season is over?
Update: Kelvyn Paulino Jr. will enter the transfer portal
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